''The Wild Tchoupitoulas'' is a 1976 album by the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian tribe

the Wild Tchoupitoulas The Wild Tchoupitoulas were originally a group of Mardi Gras Indians formed in the early 1970s by George "Big Chief Jolly" Landry. Landry, with his Autochthon American (Choctaw) heritage, had been an active performer in the Mardi Gras Indian sty ...

. While not a commercial success, the effort was well received critically and the experience recording it encouraged the four

Neville brothers The Neville Brothers were an American R&B/soul/funk group, formed in 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana. History The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family, Art (1937–2019), Charles (1938–2018), Aaron (b. 19 ...

to perform together for the first time as a group.

Background

The word ''Tchoupitoulas'' is derived from the name of an Indian tribe and is believed to mean "those who live at the river". According to

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

, "Since the 19th century, bands of African-Americans in New Orleans have masqueraded as American Indians during Mardi Gras. They wear elaborate, homemade costumes planned and constructed throughout the year preceding the celebration, and take to the streets chanting merry boasts about their tribes. Their music is one of the many rich strands of New Orleans music, and Indians themselves are celebrated in many songs originating in the city."

Music and lyrics

The album features the "call-and-response" style chants typical of Mardi Gras Indians. Vocals were provided by George Landry, as "Big Chief Jolly", as well as other members of his Mardi Gras tribe. Instrumentation was provided in part by members of the New Orleans band the Meters. The album also notably features Landry's nephews, the

Neville Brothers The Neville Brothers were an American R&B/soul/funk group, formed in 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana. History The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family, Art (1937–2019), Charles (1938–2018), Aaron (b. 19 ...

, providing harmonies and some of the instrumentation. Meaningful of the geographic location of New Orleans as a Caribbean city, "Meet de Boys on the Battlefront" is based on the melody and rhythm of Trinidadian calypso artist

Lord Invader Lord Invader (Rupert Westmore Grant; 13 December 1914 – 15 October 1961) was a prominent calypsonian with a very distinctive, gravelly voice. He was born in San Fernando, Trinidad. He became active in calypso in the mid-1930s, and was conside ...

's 1943 "

Rum and Coca Cola "Rum and Coca-Cola" is a popular Calypso music, calypso song composed by Lionel Belasco with lyrics by Lord Invader. The song was copyrighted in the United States by entertainer Morey Amsterdam and was a hit in 1945 for the Andrews Sisters. His ...

" made famous in the U.S. by

the Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the Swing music, swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (July 6, 1911 – May 8, 1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andre ...

in 1944.

Critical reception

In 2012, the album was added to the U.S. Library of Congress' National Registry, a designation of "cultural, artistic and historic importance to the nation's aural legacy." Reviewing in

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, Stephen Erlewine ranked the album among New Orleans greats and wrote: the group "locks into an extraordinary hybrid that marries several indigenous New Orleans musics, with swampy, dirty funk taking its place in the forefront. There are only eight songs, and they are all strung together as if they're variations on the same themes and rhythms. That's a compliment, by the way, since the organic, flowing groove is the key to the album's success."

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

placed the album on his top six New Orleans classics list. He called the music "ecstatic" and "celebratory". Reviewing in '' Christgau's Record Guide'' (1981), he wrote: "Here we have eight songs about dressing up in Indian costume on Mardi Gras; many of them are also about fighting with other Indians. You've probably heard the /nowiki>Louisiana_Creole.html" ;"title="Louisiana_Creole.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Louisiana Creole">/nowiki>Louisiana Creole">Louisiana_Creole.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Louisiana Creole">/nowiki>Louisiana Creole/nowiki> before, and maybe the irresistible melodic elements, too, although I can't tell any more, because I've played this 'repetitive' record so many times it sounds like where they all started (which it may be). For a while, I believed side two inferior, but eventually a longing for 'Big Chief Got a Golden Crown' set in and now I prefer it for listening. Side one is the best non- (or anti-) disco dance music in years."

Track listing

All tracks composed by George Landry, except as noted.

Personnel

Credits adapted from

, Discogs and Louisiana Music Factory. ;Composition and arrangement *George Landry – composer *

Art Neville Arthur Lanon Neville Jr. (December 17, 1937 – July 22, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist from New Orleans. Neville was a staple of the New Orleans music scene for over five decades. He was the founder of the funk band ...

– arrangement * Charles Neville – arrangement ;Vocals and tribe roles *Big Chief Jolly – George Landry *Second Chief – Norman Bell *Trail Chief – Booker T. Washington *Flag Boy – Candy Hemphill "Carl" Christmas *Spy Boy – Amos Landry ;Performance *

– keyboards, background vocals, producer, composer (track 4) * Charles Neville – percussion, background vocals, producer *

Cyril Neville Cyril Garrett Neville (born October 10, 1948) is an American percussionist and vocalist who first came to prominence as a member of his brother Art Neville's funky New Orleans-based band, The Meters. He joined Art in the Neville Brothers band u ...

– congas, background vocals, composer (tracks 1, 8) *

Aaron Neville Aaron Joseph Neville (born January 24, 1941) is a retired American R&B and soul singer. He has had four platinum albums and four Top 10 hits in the United States, including three that reached number one on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. ...

– piano, background vocals *

Ziggy Modeliste Joseph "Ziggy" Modeliste (born December 28, 1948), also known as Zigaboo, is an American drummer best known as a founding member of the funk band the Meters. He is widely considered an innovator in the funk genre and New Orleans style drumming. ...

– drums, composer (track 4) *

Leo Nocentelli Leo Nocentelli (born June 15, 1946) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member and lead guitarist of the funk band The Meters. He wrote the original versions of several funk classics such as " Cissy Strut" and "Hey P ...

– guitar, composer (track 4) * George Porter Jr. – bass, composer (track 4) *Teddy Royal – guitar *Willie Harper – background vocals ;Production *

Allen Toussaint Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descri ...

– producer *

Marshall Sehorn Marshall Estus Sehorn (June 25, 1934 – December 5, 2006) was an American A&R man, songwriter, music publisher and entrepreneur who played an important role in the development of R&B and popular music in New Orleans between the 1950s and 1970 ...

– producer *Roberta Grace – engineer *Ken Laxton – engineer, remastering, remixing *Paul A. Howrilla – album jacket design and photography *Carleatis – artwork *Photographique Studios – design *Ruth Kaplan – CD art adaptation

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wild Tchoupitoulas The Wild Tchoupitoulas albums 1976 debut albums Albums produced by Allen Toussaint Mango Records albums Albums recorded at Sea-Saint Studios United States National Recording Registry recordings United States National Recording Registry albums